By the URSS
FORT MORGAN, Colo. — Inches — perhaps less — separated Adam Trimble from disaster.
But that close call at the start of the race Saturday at I-76 Speedway in Fort Morgan, Colo., only served as a wake-up call for Trimble, who went on to notch his third United Rebel Sprint Series victory of the year.
Trimble started deep in the pack and narrowly avoided spinning cars before the first lap was complete. In fact, he had to shoot down into the infield to avoid Zac Taylor’s car. It was perhaps the winning move of the night.
On the restart, Trimble bolted to the front and held off Jake Bubak for the win.
“On the first lap in turns three and four, cars got sideways and collected others right in front of me,” Trimble said. “It was so close, it wasn’t even funny. I ended up missing Taylor by thousandths of an inch, it seemed. I turned the car sideways and went through the infield.”
Trimble moved up a few spots on the restart and got the preferred inside starting lane. That’s where the groove was, and that’s where he wanted to be.
But it didn’t stop Bubak from making a charge. The defending URSS national rookie of the year and Colorado Region champ tried to motor around the outside of the track into the lead on a restart.
Trimble was able to get the traction he needed, though, to stay in front and pull away for the win.
“It was a lot different from the last time we were there,” said Trimble, who finished fourth Sept. 1 at Fort Morgan. “We’ve struggled with the setup on the shorter tracks and didn’t have a good feel for it yet. … We couldn’t get it to work at tracks like Calhan and Fort Morgan. During hot laps, we weren’t where we needed to be.
“I talked to my dad after that and we completely changed the setup. … We went out in the heat race, and it was a lot better. We made some small adjustments for the main, and it was good. It paid off. To get a good run at Fort Morgan was nice. I was hoping for a top-five, really. To win it was great.”
It was Trimble’s third URSS win of the season.
“We’ve been getting really lucky, that’s for sure,” Trimble said. “The more seat time I get, the better it feels. If I need to put the car somewhere else on the track … I’m 80-percent sure if I try a different line I can still give it a shot and stay in control in a different line.”
Trimble and Bubak are locked in a tight battle for the regional title this year, and Trimble inched ahead by a few points with the victory.
Mark Walinder, also a candidate for the regional crown, was third Saturday. Coby Pearce and Blake Smith rounded out the top five.
“The Colorado Region is a tough crowd to race in,” Trimble said. “Anyone can win any given night. … You have to be spot-on. If not, somebody is going to blow right by you and you won’t know how they did it.”
Two races remain in the Colorado Region, this Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park and then Oct. 5 at the season-ending Bob Salem Memorial at Decatur County Speedway in Oberlin.
Heat race winners Saturday in Fort Morgan were John Jacob and Smith.
Trimble took home the Keizer Aluminum Wheels Hard-Charger Award by moving up nine spots for the victory.
Feature results
1. Adam Trimble, 2. Jake Bubak, 3. Mark Walinder, 4. Coby Pearce, 5. Blake Smith, 6. John Jacob, 7. Mike Hathaway, 8. Joe Bellm, 9. Darren Berry, 10. Nate Berry, 11. Kevin Schramek, 12. Brad Mott (DNF), 13. Zac Taylor (DNF).